


Flawed

by starkerscoop



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Alpha Peter Parker, College Student Peter Parker, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, Insecure Tony Stark, Jealous Tony Stark, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Omega Tony Stark, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 20:28:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29495811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starkerscoop/pseuds/starkerscoop
Summary: But he had to protect himself. Peter had the purest soul out of everyone Tony had met, but he was also now an alpha, and that changed everything. Tony had long since trained himself to avoid alphas; Peter couldn’t be an exception to that rule.
Relationships: Peter Parker/Tony Stark
Kudos: 161





	Flawed

Tony’s lifelong plan had always been to remain single until he took his last breath. He’d had his fair share of hookups and flings — of course he had, it was a way to anger his father and enjoy himself while he was at it — but he’d never trusted anyone with his heart. Never allowed himself to be at another’s mercy, never put himself in a position that could lead to him being bruised and broken. 

That hadn’t changed when he met Peter. Sure, he’d thought that the kid was attractive, but that was as far as his admiration went (never mind the blissful dreams he had, or the fact that he was the first and last thing he thought of each day).

The day Peter presented as an alpha was also the day Tony started pulling away from him. Alphas were bad news, in Tony’s experience as well as half the population’s. Was it bad to discriminate against Peter for his designation? Of course it was, and doing it pained Tony to no end.

But he had to protect himself. Peter had the purest soul out of everyone Tony had met, but he was also now an alpha, and that changed everything. Tony had long since trained himself to avoid alphas; Peter couldn’t be an exception to that rule.

Much to his relief and frustration, Peter didn’t let him end their friendship. He stormed into his penthouse, worried and angry and scared, and Tony had never loved and loathed his stubbornness more. 

They sat down and talked things out like responsible adults — Tony shuddered at the memory — and eventually, their issues were worked out. Peter had pointed out that Tony was being a hypocrite, stating that he couldn’t group all alphas into one if he fought against the same being done to omegas.

Which, yeah.

Tony conceded to that and admitted that he was struggling not to lump Peter with the horrible alphas he’d dealt with. He promised to work on that, and found that it wasn’t hard to do so, because Peter turned out to be the most perfect alpha to have ever existed (yeah, Tony might be biased; what about it?). 

It didn’t take much longer for them to start dating. 

Tony was addicted to Peter’s scent, and frequently stole articles of his clothing, leaving the scent all over himself when he wore them. The mingling of their scents led people to asking if they were together, and soon after that, they started questioning it themselves. 

It was Tony, this time, who’d sat them down for a serious conversation. He couldn’t handle the doubt and confusion anymore, nor did he want anyone else to have an opportunity to jump in and take Peter before he could. Their heart-to-heart resulted in several deep kisses and confessed feelings, and from then on, they were inseparable.

Two months into their relationship, Peter had to return to the MIT campus for his second year in college, much to Tony’s despair. MIT was four hours away from New York City, and while Tony was confident he could somewhat handle being long-distance, he was afraid that Peter couldn’t. 

It was okay, at first. Peter called him every day and night, and when he didn’t, Tony did. He visited once every few weeks, and Tony flew to Massachusetts whenever the distance got too unbearable. 

It became harder to deal with when Peter started attending the parties on and off campus. Evidently, he was a lot more popular at MIT than he was at Midtown, and Tony was happy for him. He began to feel less happy about it when he checked Peter’s social media accounts and saw him living it up, partying with people of all designations. 

Which included omegas that weren’t Tony. 

He wanted to be okay with it, and somewhere in the back of his mind, insisted that he should be. But he was intimately aware of what mistakes intoxication could lead to, and Peter had a wide pool of attractive omegas to canoodle with. 

Tony was self-aware enough to know his worries stemmed from insecurity. It wasn’t about Peter being drunk; Tony knew better than to think that Peter would come onto others at parties when he had a boyfriend back home. 

Emphasis on ‘back home’. 

What if he got bored? Who truly wanted to be with someone who lived hundreds of miles away? There were a lot of others Peter could be dating right now, and he’d be seeing them daily, because they lived and studied on the same campus. He could choose to leave Tony at any moment, and Tony wouldn’t be able to do anything other than watch him with his new omega on his Snapchat stories.

Tony was agonizing over the possibility when the man of the hour called him. 

“Hi, Pete,” he spoke into the phone, brightening at once. 

He could see Peter’s grin in his mind. “Hi, Tony. How are you doing?”

“I’m okay,” Tony sniffed. “I miss you.” 

Peter sighed empathetically. “I know. I miss you too. My rut is coming up, and I’m going to be taking a week off for it. Do you want me to come home?” 

Meaning, _would you be willing to spend it with me?_

Tony shifted in anticipation, feeling the beginnings of arousal stir in his gut at the implication. “I would love that.” 

He would want his alpha with him under any circumstances, but these certainly weren’t ones he disliked. The only downside to it was that they would only have a couple of days for quality time; the rest of their time would be frenzied due to Peter’s rut. 

“Thank you,” the happiness in his voice made Tony blush. That was a new development; no one had been able to make him blush before, especially not over something so plain. “My rut is next week. I’m sorry, I know it’s short notice.” 

“Baby, I would clear my schedule for you any time,” Tony proclaimed. “Next week works for me.” 

Tony waited for the week to come with excitement and nerves. What if they’d been apart for too long, and they’d be awkward around each other once Peter came home? Worse, what if Peter changed his mind and decided to spend his rut with someone else? Tony wouldn’t be able to live with that. 

All of his fears and doubts were quelled the moment Peter stepped into the penthouse. Tony was waiting by the elevator doors when he came out, and was immediately swept into his arms. Tony purred quietly into the crook of his neck, nuzzling closer to rub his scent onto his alpha, and allowing it to seep into his clothes. He felt Peter do the same by grabbing his wrists and rubbing his fingers gently along his skin. 

They weren’t marked, so Tony stiffened slightly when he felt Peter skim the scent gland on his neck with the tip of his nose. Peter leaned closer and planted a small kiss onto it, letting his lips linger for a moment before withdrawing. 

Tony relaxed into his hold, noting that his gland was tingling slightly from Peter’s caress. He loved Peter, of course he did, but he wasn’t quite ready for a mark. Those were permanent and irreversible, and he was relieved to find that he could trust Peter not to bite him without his consent. 

Tony led him towards the nearest loveseat, sitting down and pulling on his shirt until he fell into his side. Peter adjusted his body until he was sitting more comfortably, and curled his arms around Tony, caging him in his embrace. Tony didn’t mind that at all, and he showed it by clambering into Peter’s lap to nestle closer. 

Peter pressed a kiss to his cheeks, before saying, “It’s been way too long since I’ve seen you.” 

“I know,” Tony agreed, resting his head on Peter’s shoulder as he said, “How close are you to your rut?” 

Peter took a moment to assess how he was feeling. “I think it’ll start in a day or two. I’m good for now.” 

Tony hummed in acknowledgement. 

A quiet buzz coming from Peter’s pockets startled him out of his mellowed state. Peter ignored it, but his phone kept vibrating, so he reluctantly pulled it out of his pocket, whispering an apology to Tony when his movement jostled him. 

Tony peered at the screen curiously when Peter unlocked it. 

_Gwen: When are you coming back? I need my study buddy_

_Gwen: Peterrrr_

_Gwen: Please tell me you’re not already “busy”, because that’s gross and not something I need to imagine_

Tony’s contentment vanished. He didn’t want this Gwen girl — he didn’t know who she was, as was common now that Peter had a big group of friends — to somehow goad Peter into coming back early. He’d only just gotten him back, and he wasn’t letting him leave any earlier than he was supposed to, Tony decided with a near-silent growl. He was Peter’s omega, and that took precedence over Peter’s friends, whether they liked it or not.

Peter sent Gwen a quick reply before powering down his phone and tossing it onto the coffee table. Tony preened inwardly at the gesture, but didn’t have time to savor the feeling of importance it gave him before Peter was turning to study his face. 

“What’s wrong?” Peter questioned. 

Tony shook his head, refusing to reply, but Peter wasn’t deterred. 

“What’s wrong, Oma?” Peter cooed, running a soothing hand along his back. 

Any other time, Tony would’ve balked at the treatment and accused Peter of babying him. But the pet name, combined with Peter’s touch and how overwhelmed he’d been feeling lately, only made his walls crumble. Tony cuddled closer, giving in, and Peter tightened his grip in response. 

“I always feel like you’ll find an omega you like more than me at MIT,” Tony confessed in a rush. 

He’d caught Peter off guard with that, which was evident by the shock on his face and the slight tensing of his muscles. Tony winced at that and waited to be berated. 

Instead, Peter’s face softened before he asked, “Why? I don’t need any other omega when I’ve got the best one right here, on my lap.” 

“But I’m not always on your lap,” Tony expressed with frustration. “We’re hundreds of miles apart most of the time. You could find someone else to sit on your lap within seconds.” 

“I wouldn’t do that,” Peter denied. “And even if I did, they wouldn’t be you, so I wouldn’t be happy.” 

“What’s so special about me?” Tony voiced bitterly. “I can’t even give you pups because I fucked up my body. I bet all those other omegas are fertile.”

Peter blanched. “I don’t care what the other omegas are like, I’m with you. And it’s way too soon for pups. Besides, if we ever wanted any, there are other ways to have them.”

Tony wondered which ‘other ways’ he’d prefer. He was against getting a surrogate, because the thought of another omega providing his alpha with a pup made him uncomfortable. It would only serve to remind Tony that he couldn’t do it himself. Maybe Peter would want to adopt. 

Or maybe Tony was getting ahead of himself.

“It wouldn’t matter to you if they weren’t biologically yours?” Tony asked, surprised. Most alphas wanted their children to be traditionally theirs. 

“No,” Peter shook his head, “but we’re not talking about pups right now. Tony, you have nothing to worry about. I’m never going to want anyone other than you.”

“Why?” Tony wondered, still upset but slowly starting to believe him.

Peter didn’t hesitate. “Because I love you.” 

“What?” Tony lifted his head to stare at him with wide eyes. 

“Because I love you,” Peter repeated softly. 

Tony searched his eyes desperately and only found honest conviction. His brain worked over the words, turning them this way and that, and Tony found himself trusting them. What was he supposed to say? It seemed so simple, but he forced himself to think deeper before he could open his mouth. 

Peter wasn’t like any of the alphas Tony had met, and he’d proved so a countless number of times. He was kind, and sweet, and loyal; he was always willing to listen to anything Tony had to say, and he did so attentively, as if Tony’s thoughts mattered to him. 

His response truly wasn’t complicated, but it carried enough weight that Tony felt liberated as soon as the words were uttered. 

“I love you too.”


End file.
